Maritime Indigenous communities in Canada has struggled through strife and oppression for the sake and safety of their communities.
The method of attack may have changed from a Starving out, suicide plot or a blanket-base, small pox forms of genocide. This does not mean anyone can let down their vigilance or forgot the lessons of the past.
In the Maritimes, the M’kmaq and Elsipogtog First Nations from a community near Rexton, New Brunswisk had started a battle between the First Nations communities and their allies against SWN Resources, a company which seeks to potentially frack on traditional Mi’kmaq and Elsipogtog Nations territory in New Brunswick.
These Indigenous uprisings such as the recent uprising in Elsipogtog — which means “River of Fire” in Mi’kmaq — and why they came to head after SWN Resources issued the blockades and injunction on Wednesday October 2, 2013.
Later photo evidence from the raid revealed what most demonstrators already knew, the
snipers they saw were not American at all but in fact Canadian.
[Let me note here that snipers anywhere are killers.]
No, they were not American citizens regardless of how many decried otherwise. It seemed actually easier to assume the U.S. that had authorized the attack and had brought in the guns than the domestic Canadians.
A new truth for some young Canadians was: there wasn’t any American involvement
in the crackdown on the Elsipogtog. The crackdown fit perfectly into capable Canadian hands.
Soon, more signs of Indigenous hatred slipped to the surface.
Fishermen from a region of Newfoundland attended a December meeting in the Town of Clarenville with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans which would be deciding license rights.
Discussions around fishing licenses from the Mi’kmaq in Conne River spurred anger, racism and resented from while fishers who felt they were at some sort on disadvantage to the allocations of licensees
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) who was covering the event, “During their argument in the conversation about the fishing and the lack of fish and the lack of regulations — or too much regulations — the meeting got quite loud at one time, and an individual fisherman said, ‘We killed all the Beothuks, we should have killed them [the Mi’kmaq], too,'”
[Excuse me to point out that this gentleman is advocating for genocide and yet so many right-wingers believe that Indigenous community’s concern about genocide is brushed off with a smirk.]
A member of the band who was attending the meeting heard the comment, and brought the complaint to Chief Misel Joe, who then brought the compliant to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Chief Joe said, “When those statements are made and grown men with children of their own, families of their own, grandchildren of their own, who probably go to church every Sunday, laugh at something like that and think it’s funny, then there’s something wrong…with the way people are looking at other Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
people.”
